llms.txt is a proposed text file meant to tell AI crawlers how to read your site. As of 2026 it does not drive AI citations — Google has publicly said no AI system uses it, and large studies find the vast majority are never even read. It's a harmless five-minute add, not a strategy. Be wary of anyone selling it as the key to AEO.
The idea behind llms.txt is reasonable: a simple file (like robots.txt) that points AI models at your most important content. But adoption by the actual answer engines hasn't happened. Google's Search Advocate has stated plainly that no AI system currently uses llms.txt, and analyses of tens of thousands of sites found almost none of the files are ever fetched by AI crawlers.
What actually gets a business named in AI answers is different: a page that answers the exact question in plain, readable text with a real number; consistent business information the model can corroborate across sources; genuine reviews and mentions; and clean page structure. None of that depends on llms.txt.
If a vendor pitches llms.txt as the thing that will get you cited, treat it as a red flag. Add the file if you like — it costs nothing and may matter someday — but don't pay for it as a deliverable, and don't let it distract from the levers that work today.
See where your clinic stands
Check in 30 seconds whether AI names your clinic for treatments in your city — we work with only one clinic per city.
Related